Electric railway.



No. 792,569. PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905.

W. CHAPMAN & P. W. DAVIES.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV.23,1B97. RENEWED APR. 12,1905.

WITNESSES A INVENTOHSI 6% a p q;

- UNITED STATES Patented June 1 3, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM CHAPMAN AND PERCY IV. DAVIES, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYL- VANIA; SAID CHAPMAN ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,569, dated June 13, 1905.

Application filed November 23, 1897. Renewed April 12, 1905, Serial No. 255,233.

citizen of the United States, and PERCY W.

DAVIES, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, both residing in Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electric railways, and more particularly to the class of railways in which current-collecting devices make contact with sectional conductors that are normally dead, but the sections of which are connected in circuit with the feeder in succession by means of suitable switches as the car moves over them.

The object of our invention is to providea system of the character above specified which shall embody a simple and eificient means for automatically opening the pick-up or energizing circuit of each switch-magnet as soon as the main circuit from the feeder to the motors through the corresponding conductor-section is closed.

IVith this object in view we have devised the apparatus hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is a diagram of a section of railway and its circuit-controlling switches.

In the drawing, a a are thethe track-rails, which may be electrically connected and bonded in the usual manner to serve as the returncircuit for the system.

A represents a vehicle propelled by one or more electric motors B, two of such motors being shown in the drawing. The vehicle is also preferably provided with a secondary battery 0 and a motor-generator (Z 6, thefunction of which will be hereinafter specified.

Between the track-rails a a or in some other suitable position with reference thereto is located a section of conductorB, composed of insulated rail-sections I) 5 6 &c. Instead of these rail-sections contact buttons or pins may obviously be employed, both forms of sectional conductor being well known in the art. The vehicle A is provided with a colwith the conductor B, and in the present instance we have shown the collecting-shoe as made in two parts 0 0 electrically connected together. The distance between the parts 0 0 may be varied to suit the exigencies of any particular case; but in general it will be preferable to have them span a distance approximately equal to the length of the vehicle. It will be understood that if contact-pins are employed in lieu of the rail-sections shown a single long contact bar or shoe approximately the length of the car will be employed in lieu of the construction indicated in the drawing.

In the construction. shown in the drawing each of the conductor-sections b b is connected, by means of conductor f with one terminal of a solenoid s, the other terminal of the solenoid being through a low-resistance winding 7&2 on the magnet H with stationary contactterminal m of the main switch corresponding to the conductor-section b or .71 as the case may be. The other stationary terminal m of this main switch is in electrical connection with the feeder N by means of a conductor f*.

it is the movable armature of the magnet H, which has attached to it a bridge-plate 022, provided at its respective ends with contactplates M M, which engage with the contacts m 177? when the armature is raised.

Each of the conductor-sections 7/ b is connected through a high-resistance winding it on the corresponding magnet H, by means of the conductor f and a branch f", to the stationary contact g of an auxiliary switch, the other contact, of this switch being connected, by means of the conductor g with the track-rails a (L The solenoid f is provided with a core 8', the outer end of which is fastened to a bridge-piece g*, so that when the core is in its outermost position the bridgepiece will close the circuit through the contacts 9 In order that the core of the solenoid may not be drawn inward too quickly when the solenoid is energized, we either close the top with a permanent cover, as indicated at the left of the figure of the drawing, or we prolecting-shoe C. so located as to make contact 1 vide an inwardly-opening valve 5 as inclineed not be again enumerated.

cated in connection with the other two switches shown in the drawing. The two forms are equally eiiicient as regards controlling the opening of the shunt-circuit; but the form embodying the valve insures a quick closing of the circuit, as will be readily understood. This arrangement may therefore be preferable in some cases.

Assuming that all of the main switches of the system are open, the operation will be as follows: The motor-generator (Z 0 being preferably designed to raise the electromotive force supplied by the secondary battery 0 to the normal electromoti ve force of the systemsay live hundred volts-current of that electromotive force is supplied through the conductor f, the shoe C, the corresponding section of the conductor B, the conductor 1, coils h, the auxiliary switch, the conductor g, rails It (112., and the conductor f, thus completing the circuit. This will serve to energize the magnet H, and thus raise the armature it and close themain switch. The leedercircuit is thus closed through the low-resistance magnet-coils 72. the solenoid s, and the motors P. This will not only serve to propel the vehicle A, but the solenoid will immediately draw its core inward, thus opening the auxiliary circuit. Since the contact-shoe C bridges from one section of the conductor B to the next, the secondary battery and motor-generator may be cut out after the first magnet is energized and the current from the feeder utilized for the operation of the next switclnsuch operation being repeated throughout the length of the system.

A modified form of circuit-controlling apparatus is shown at the right of the drawing. lt embodies substantially the same organization as that hereinbefore described; but it has some additional features. The parts corresponding to those already described are designated by the same letters of reference and In this form of device the solenoid comprises a high-resistance coil s" and a low-resistance coil s, the latter being connected with the low-resistance winding Not the main circuit. The high-resistance winding 8 has one terminal connected to the ground-conductor 5 and the other to an additional pair of coils it on the magnet H, these coils being also connected to a supplemental stationary contactpiece m", with which the movable contact M of the main switch engages. It will be understood that this organization operates in substantially the same manner as that already described, the additional winding for the solenoid serving merely as an additional means for holding the auxiliary switch open during the time that the main switch is closed.

We desire it to be understood that our invention is not limited to the exact organization of apparatus illustrated and described and that it is intended to extend to and cover all forms of electromagnetic devices for opening the shunt or pick-up circuit at approximately the time that the main circuit is closed whatever may be the mechanical construction. or circuit connections of such electromagnetic devices.

e claim as our invention 1. An electric-railway system comprising track-rails, a feeder, conductor-sections and electromagneticallyoperated switches for making connections between the conductorsections and the feeder, each of said switches comprising a magnet having one or more shunt pick-up coils and one or more series holdingcoils, an auxiliary solenoid having a core that is actuated thereby to open the pick-up circuit when the main circuit is closed and having a valve that is automatically closed when the core is electromagnetically actuated and is opened by the reverse movement.

2. A circuit-controller for railway systems, comprising a magnet having one or more shunt picleup coils and one or more series holdingcoils, an armature provided with switch-contaets for opening and closing the main circuit, an auxiliary switch in the pick-up circuit and a solenoid having a winding in series with the holding coil or coils and a solenoid-core connected to the movable member of the auxiliary switch, said solenoid and core embodying a dash-pot construction having a valve that is automatically opened and closed by the respective movements of the core, whereby the closing of the main. circuit serves to open the pick-up circuit by a slow movement of said core.

3. A circuit-controller for electric-railway systems comprising a magnet having one or more series holding-coils, one or more shunt pick-u p coils, an armature for cminecting said holding coil or coils in the feeder-circuit, and a solenoid having a core provided with means for opening the pick-up circuit as soon as the main circuit is closed and for closing said pickup circuit as soon as the main circuit is opened, said solenoid constituting a dash-pot cylinder in which the core operates as a piston and having a valve that closes automatically to insure a slow movement in breaking the circuit and opens automatically to insure a relatively rapid movement in closing the circuit.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub scribed my name this 18th day of November, A. 1). 1897.

\V M. CHAPMAN.

\Vitnesses:

JAMns B. YOUNG, H. C. TENER.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 22d day of November,

P. W. DAVIES. Witnesses:

JAMES B. YOUNG, H. U. TENER. 

